Waiting for You

Chapter 7 (The What Bros)

*After a week*:

Dhruv POV:

The canteen was in full swing—like a zoo, but with more trays and fewer redeeming qualities. The sound of clattering utensils, half-baked conversations, and laughter that was always a little too forced filled the air. And there I was, staring at my plate like it had personally offended me. Honestly, world peace could wait—someone needed to stage an intervention with this kitchen.

I poked at the mystery sludge in front of me, trying to figure out what crime I had committed in a past life to deserve this. The canteen had truly outdone itself. If there was a Nobel Prize for making food taste like absolutely nothing, these guys were the frontrunners. They'd somehow managed to invent a meal so bland, it made plain rice seem like a star dish. Forget "farm-to-table"—this was more like "despair-to-mouth."

I sighed, resisting the urge to throw the entire tray into the sun. Instead, I did what any reasonable person would do: I called for backup. "Excuse me," I said, trying to sound like I wasn't five seconds away from a breakdown, "any chance I could get something else? You know, something that doesn't taste like sadness and regret?"

The server—bless his heart—looked at me with all the enthusiasm of a rock. He'd clearly heard this request before and had long since accepted that the only thing worse than the food here was caring about it. He gave me a nod so half-hearted, I wasn't sure if he was agreeing to help or just contemplating his own life choices.

He trudged off, presumably to find something equally depressing but in a different shade of beige. And me? I was left sitting there, waiting for the next serving of disappointment, wondering if I should just start bringing my own lunch—or maybe just eat my laptop. At least that had some flavor.

Just when I thought things couldn't get more exciting than waiting for round two of Mystery Mush, the canteen's door flew open with a dramatic bang that could've won an Oscar. The room fell into a hush, trays freezing mid-air as everyone turned to witness the grand entrance of none other than Shrey. His face was locked in an expression of frustration so intense, I half expected him to yell, "I am vengeance!" Batman-style.

Instead, he stomped toward me like a man on a mission. "WHY?" he bellowed, loud enough to make even the most dedicated gossipers pause mid-sip.

My brain did the equivalent of a slow reboot. "Why... what?" I replied, squinting up at him like I'd missed the memo for today's episode of Shrey's Midday Meltdown.

His eyes narrowed like he couldn't believe I was playing dumb. "Why what? You know why!" Oh great, so now I had to guess.

I blinked. "No, really. What what?"

"You know what!" His voice was louder this time, as if yelling would make me suddenly telepathic.

I stood up, determined not to back down from this absurd showdown. "What what? What should be what? What do you mean by 'what'?!"

Shrey's face twisted into pure confusion. "What? What do you mean, 'what what'?"

The universe officially hated me. "What what what?"

And then, just when I thought things couldn't get more ridiculous, the entire canteen joined in with an exasperated cry of, "SERIOUSLY!"

Even Shrey blinked at the sudden intervention. Realizing we'd officially become the day's entertainment, he motioned for us to go outside, probably so we could continue our wordplay without causing a full-scale riot.

Once outside, in the less judgmental courtyard, Shrey finally took a deep breath, his storm of anger simmering down a notch. "Did you message Divya from my phone?" His voice was lower now, but the tension was still there.

I froze. Oh no. I had messaged Divya from his phone. It had seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution to a crisis at the time, like using duct tape to fix a leaky pipe—quick, easy, and probably bound to fail miserably. My stomach did a little flip as I remembered the whole mess.

"Okay, yes," I said slowly, bracing myself. "It was me. But before you freak out, let me explain!"

Shrey's eyes widened. "You WHAT?"

"I was just trying to fix things after... you know, the library disaster," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact like a pro. "I didn't think it'd turn into a whole thing."

The library disaster. My sister had blown in like a category-five hurricane, whipping up drama like it was her life's purpose. And Divya, always poised and perfect, had gotten caught in the crossfire. It had been... awkward, to say the least. And by "awkward," I mean "the kind of awkward that haunts your dreams for years."

"Well, congratulations," Shrey said, throwing his hands up in the air. "It DID turn into a thing!"

"Okay, I get it," I sighed. "But did it really make things worse?"

He stared at me like I had two heads. "She texted me back saying 'I love you.'"

What.

I blinked. "She WHAT?"

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Apparently, she thought I was confessing... for you."

I couldn't help it. A laugh escaped me—a slightly unhinged, incredulous laugh. Because, of course. Of course this is what would happen to me. My life was nothing but a series of unfortunate—and ridiculous—events.

"What are you going to do about it?" Shrey asked, his voice cutting through my mini-breakdown.

"What am I going to do about it?!" I threw my hands up. "I don't know! Move to Antarctica? Fake my death? I clearly don't have the brain cells to handle this right now."

Shrey snorted. "Okay, drama queen."

"Says the guy who just charged into the canteen like he was about to declare war," I shot back, a smirk tugging at my lips despite myself.

"Well, someone had to get to the bottom of this ridiculous mess," he replied, crossing his arms.

I rolled my eyes, still laughing at the absurdity of it all. "Yeah, well, here we are—bottomless."

Shrey grinned. "You're not that bad. Maybe just... cursed."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered, but I couldn't help but smile. Because, let's face it, my life was a joke at this point, and I was the punchline.

This better not be a bigger mess-

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Hey Guys,

Todays chapter was filled with surprises and you got a glimse past which he is waiting to share with the 'right one'.

Anyway asusual-Give me some song inspo guys.....

I hope you had a great day!!

~Sick of me yet?~

💬🥀🖤🕸️

Thank You,

Your loving author

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